Mushroom Growing Requirements

Choosing a Substrate
Choosing a substrate depends on the type of the mushrooms to be grown. The substrate
should be clean and composed of lignin and cellulose and it should be able to hold moisture.
Hardwood logs; Hardwood chips and sawdust; seed hulls; leaf litters; paper; cotton wastes; rice
straw; wheat straw; and other straws can be used as a substrate for growing most types of
mushrooms.
Choosing a Container
Mushrooms can be grown in open straw bales, plastic bags, plastic tubes, and trays of
various sizes. As a rule the container should be able to enclose the substrate during the spawn
run and should be able to avoid excessive self-heating. It should also allow the maximum
production in the space used.
Purchasing Spawns
Purchase the best quality fresh spawns from reputed suppliers. Always read the label on
the spawn bottles before purchasing them. One bottle of grain or sawdust spawn in a 500-ml
dextrose bottle is sufficient to inoculate 40 to 50 substrate bags (each bag containing approx. 200 kg straw). As a rule, weight of the spawn should be in the range of 1 to 5% of the dry weight of the substrate.